DESIGNING WOMEN/CBS/1986-93 (Brownie) The never seen but mentioned dog
of Mary Jo Shively (Annie Potts), a divorced mother who worked for an Atlanta,
Georgia design firm on the sitcom
THE HONEYMOONERS/CBS/1955-56 (Lulu) - The beloved dog of Ed Norton (Art
Carney), New York sewer worker mentioned on "The Sleepwalker" episode on the
classic sitcom . Ed lost Lulu in the Tunnel of Love at Coney Island when she
jumped out of the boat after a cocker spaniel when he was a child. Ever since
then he experienced bouts of sleepwalking where he aimlessly cried out "Lulu,
Lulu." A trip to the psychiatrist and a shot of Pentathol revealed why he
sleepwalked. To cure him, close friend Ralph Kramden (Jackie Gleason) purchased
a replacement Lulu as a gift. Unfortunately, the dog didn't cure Ed but now when
he went sleepwalking he carried Lulu the Second for company. Ed, however, no
longer keeps a dog because according to his wife Thelma "Trixie" Norton (Joyce
Randolph), Ed is now allergic to fur.
IVAN THE TERRIBLE/CBS/1976 (Rasputin the dog) - Rasputin was the family
pet of Ivan (Lou Jacobi), a headwaiter working at the Hotel Metropole in modern
day Moscow, Russia. Ivan had to share his apartment with nine other people and
his ferocious sounding dog. Rasputin was never seen on the series.
LATE NIGHT WITH DAVID LETTERMAN (Bob the dog) - A rare breed of Belgian
Air-Head occasionally featured on the NBC talk show during the 1980s & 1990s.
The personal pet of comedian David Letterman, Bob the Dog (who was never seen)
had a video-camera tied to his body so that when he moved about, the TV viewers
could see a "dog's eye" view of the world. Bob ran up and down stairs, jumped on
and off objects and otherwise created a whirlwind of canine acrobatics for the
late night TV audience. NOTE: On Letterman's inaugural "Stupid Pet Tricks"
segment in 1982, a dog named Mugsy sneezed and answered a phone. Former
Letterman writer Merrill Markoe created the Stupid Pet Tricks back in 1980 for
Letterman's short-lived NBC morning show. Dial 1-888-PET-TRIK or (212) 975-5950
if you have a stupid animal act or write "Stupid Pet/Human Tricks" Late Show
with David Letterman, 1697 Broadway, New York, NY 10019.
THE SOUPY SALES SHOW/ABC/1955-62/SYN/1978-79 (White Fang & Black Tooth) -
Two of his most popular puppets were Soupy's canine house pets, White Fang "the
biggest and meanest dog in the USA" and Black Tooth, "the kindest dog in the
USA." All the viewers ever saw of either dog were their shaggy white or black
paws which reached from off-camera to interact with Soupy Sales while he was on
the air. Occasionally, Marilyn Monwolf, an amorous friend of White Fang and
Black Tooth visited the show. Another faceless favorites recurring sketch
occurred when Soupy answered the door of his clubhouse and began talking with
whomever had knocked at the door. Standing offstage, the unseen visitor would
talk to Soupy who often got a pie thrown in his face for his troubles. Once
during the "door" skit, the stage crew brought in a totally nude dancer to stand
in for the usual door to door salesman/visitor. Speechless, Soupy watched the
monitor and thought the whole thing was actually being broadcast live to his
viewing audience and that his career was over. Luckily, the whole affair was a
closed-circuit broadcast and no one but the stage crew and Soupy were ever to
know until it became a popular story to tell years later. Still another faceless
visitor to Soupy's place was his girlfriend, Ella Phant who lived in a trunk.
See also CHILDREN'S SHOW HOSTS - "Soupy Sales"
